It's 2012, is Hitchhiking really that dangerous?

Question

I'm hitchhiking from New York to Northern California.
Is it dangerous? Any tips? All serious informative advice is welcome....

Answer 1

I would say not really. The act of hitchhiking is fairly safe, the danger comes in on the part of the driver. Many people will not pick up hitchhikers out of fear of being robbed, carjacked, etc. so you may have a really really hard time making any good progress in your travels. Robberies and muggings are usually a planned process. Someone goes out with the intent to rob someone or assault someone. For someone to pick up a hitchhiker for that purpose would be a spontaneous decision, not one they have time to think about and plan as they see you on the road (unless you are a small helpless girl in which case some bad men could make that decision rather quickly). However from the hitchhikers point of view it could easily be a planned routine (Wait till someone picks him up and then rob him while he is driving), Hence the reason hitchhiking is dangerous for the driver not the hitch-hiker



Hope that helps :)



Edit: lol by "Failed Hitchhiking" I mean standing on the side of the road for literally 6 hours without anyone picking me up..Instead I ended up walking for 10 hours to where I was headed...Not fun



And with that being said, I am a 23 yr old male, Clean shaven, Dressed nicely, and never been in trouble a day in my life so its not like I looked like a hardened criminal or anything of that sort.

Answer 2

Hitchhiking is more dangerous now than ever. There are so many distractions in the car people could easily be texting, putting on makeup, eating and hit you. Also younever know if someone is a rappest just waiting for people who are open to anything. Not to mention the wepons people have are very dangerous. There are plenty of mindless teenagers who are having "fun" and want some target practice... you are the best thing for them. But sometimes you have got to do what you got to do but please think about this carefully and be careful!

Answer 3

Hitchhiking is still very dangerous especially if you are a teenager or child, have a disability, or are in any way crippled. Most people who accept hitchhikers aren't nice familys, they're creepy predators

Answer 4

As I heard, I think Hitchhiking is usually very safe, because the most encountered feelings of unsafety are probably concerning the driver's driving style. So, its not to worry so much.

Answer 5

Yes, it is very dangerous, especially if you're a woman.



Go with a trucker whenever possible. They often work for better known companies (and therefore can usually be trusted).



Whenever you do it, always text someone you know the license plate of the car in case anything happens to you (so they know who to go after).



in any case, don't be dumb. I know that's obvious, but still.





also, always look clean and approachable. You will definitely get "better" people willing to help you out. Would YOU want to be in the car with a smelly/dirty person for how many hundreds of miles?

Answer 6

Hitchhiking is for the most part illegal in much of the US.

Answer 7

Hick hiking can end up being very dangerous depending on the person you get it from. stay away from large trucks and vans.

Answer 8

Yeah, It's still dangerous. There are still plenty of crazy people out there.